The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy maintains this blog to disseminate information relevant to astronomers who identify as women. If you have an idea for a blog post or topic, please submit to wia-blog at lists.aas.org.
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily the views of the CSWA, the AAS, its Board of Trustees, or its membership.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

As an avid science communicator and astronomy subject matter expert for hire, Dr. JoEllen McBride, CSWA member, strives to make science inclusive for anyone who wants to participate. In this blog post, Dr. McBride discusses how we have to be honest with young women; not just about the set backs they may face when doing science but the systemic hurdles they'll face within their scientific institutions.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Greg Mace works as a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin and McDonald Observatory. This post is written from his own perspective as an advisor, white male, father and husband.

Something that has been bothering me about the
anti-harassment discussion in our community is the denial from allies that they
are capable of being a harasser and predator. In the worst cases there appear
to be wolves in sheep’s clothing within our equity and inclusion groups. In
lesser cases, we need to acknowledge that claiming to be an ally while ogling
or fanaticizing of our co-workers is a form of grooming that is best stopped
before it starts.

I wish to be considered an ally, and I also acknowledge that
I am capable of harassment and predation.

When I hear others talk about their disdain for harassment
and then proclaim their innocence, I immediately question their definition of
harassment. If harassment is defined as the explicit intimidation of someone,
then I agree that many people are capable of suppressing their bad behaviors
when asked. However, what happens when there is a power separation between senior
and junior researchers? Does the junior researcher need to explicitly say, ‘I
don’t want you to look at me like that,’ or can we assume that they don’t want
it? A better definition of harassment is one that focuses on the actions of the
harasser. I would say that harassment can be defined as - behaving in ways that
you know, based on past experience and the rules of consent, to be
inappropriate.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

The Women in Planetary Science blog recently posted a summary of the discussion from their 2018 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference event. The post includes stories and a summary of strategies for combating impostor syndrome.